'Cottages at Barton Green' proposed for development in Ann Arbor

ANN ARBOR, MI - Another large housing development is being proposed on Ann Arbor's north side. Trinitas Ventures, a student-housing developer based in Indiana, is proposing to build 225 fully furnished, market-rate apartments with 716 bedrooms in 92 buildings on vacant land at 2601 Pontiac Trail, just north of Skydale Drive. The project, which is being called the Cottages at Barton Green, has been in the works for months. It's still under review by the city's staff and awaits Planning Commission and City Council approval. There's no scheduled date yet for when it could go to Planning Commission, but Brett Lenart, the city's planning manager, said it could be on the agenda in September. The 32-acre development site abuts M-14 and sits along the west side of Pontiac Trail between the Huron Highlands subdivision to the south and the planned North Sky development to the north. The property is owned by Santosh Mehra, the former chief financial officer for Gelman Sciences Inc.

, as approved by the City Council last year, includes 139 single-family homes and a four-story, 56-unit condo or apartment building on 32 acres. For the newly proposed Cottages at Barton Green, the site plan submitted to the city indicates the various buildings would range from one to three stories, and there are seven types of apartment buildings proposed, with units ranging from one to six bedrooms. All single, duplex and quad apartment buildings would be two stories. There also would be three-story, townhouse-style apartments. A total of 566 automobile parking spaces are included in the plans, along with another 244 bicycle parking spaces. Some neighbors are concerned that Trinitas describes itself on its website as being focused exclusively on student housing. The site plan for the Cottages at Barton Green notes Trinitas owns and manages nearly $300 million in student housing assets consisting of more than 2,800 student-housing beds. New construction of more than $200 million in student housing assets is planned for 2017 completion, the site plan further notes. The Cottages at Barton Green would not be limited strictly to students, though, according to the developer. The site plan states the apartments would be designed primarily for adults, couples and young professionals but could be occupied by others as well. The developer expects a low number of school-age children, possibly 20-25, would reside in the apartments. Ken Garber, a representative for the Huron Highlands Committee for Area Planning, said he and his neighbors support development on the site, but only if it includes a mix of housing types, including single-family housing, either owner-occupied or rental. As it stands now, he said, they're concerned what's being proposed is a massive student-housing project that's incompatible with the mixed nature of the surrounding neighborhoods. Garber points out the city's master plan recommends a mix of housing types for the site, including single-family detached homes, duplexes, attached townhouses and multi-family units. The developer's proposal calls for starting construction in April 2018 and completing by the end of July 2019. Construction costs are estimated at $28 million. Trinitas is working with Indiana-based KJG Architecture and Ann Arbor-based Midwestern Consulting. The proposed layout shows a 9.6-acre park area at the back of the site abutting the M-14 highway. The plans include a one-story community building with a large deck and multiple pools, one-story maintenance building and other site amenities, including a basketball court, sand volleyball court, a small playground labeled as a "tot lot" and paths to the proposed park area. Nearly 2 acres of the park area would be restored as woodland. The plans also include picnic tables and benches. There also would be porches and decks or patios on all units. A private shuttle bus service is planned. The plans also show there would be three separate stormwater detention ponds on the site.